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Viggo Mortensen was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe for Eastern Promises, but director David Cronenberg reckons he should be in line for an Oscar nod too.

The filmmaker has been at the helm of two of the New York-born actor’s latest films – A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises, in which he plays Nikolai, a member of the Russian underground mafia in London.

Viggo lost out to There Will Be Blood star Daniel Day-Lewis at the Globes, but David thinks he should be in the running for an Academy Award.

“I think it’s a long time coming,” said David at the Bafta LA tea party in the US.

“Viggo has been a fantastic performer for years, he’s very subtle, he’s never showboating, it’s always about the character, and I think that’s why it’s taken people so long to realise he’s not just a good actor he’s a great actor.

“A History Of Violence and this one seem to have catapulted him. He’s been around for a long time and he’s always been a great actor.”